Lion Heart
by storyteller911
Summary: Naruto's not the idiot everyone thinks he is. After an incident and needing to calm down, eight-year-old Naruto sleeps in the Forest of Death and is woken by sounds of a fight. What was fighting though, were two of the strangest creatures he'd ever seen.


**I've been in a bit of a funk lately.**

**Damn writer's block, ugh!**

**So I went to reading other fanfics that had been updated and such, mostly Naruto x-overs lately, and I found this one Digimon/Naruto fic and thought it was a little weird but still interesting so I started reading other Digimon/Naruto x-overs and that got me to watching some Digimon on youtube and **_**viola**_**! Yet another random thought for a story that I couldn't get rid of until I started typing and writing down notes.**

**Geez...**

**I sometimes curse my creative mind because what's sad is that my creativity truly shows when a random thought pops into my head and I can't stop writing until another episode of severe writers block hits!**

**IT DRIVES ME **_**OUT **_**OF MY MIND IN **_**INTO **_**THE LOONY BIN!**

**But whatevs.**

**Random works I guess... Anywho, this fanfiction takes place in the **_**Digimon Tamers**_** series and I doubt there will be any romance. **_**If**_** there is any chance of romance happening in future chapters of this fic, it will most likely happen between Naruto and Rika. But again, I doubt I will be putting romance in this fic.**

**Enjoy.**

**x**

**XD**

Chapter 1

The Truth Pt.1

It was an average day in Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

The dirt streets were lively with the regular hustle and bustle of the villagers and there were several adults chasing after a blonde boy, who they were surprised they couldn't keep up with, yelling obscenities while the boy was grinning and laughing all the way and anyone he passed sneered and debated joining the chase.

Yup, an average day for the Leaf Village.

The boy in question was eight-year-old Naruto Uzumaki. The reason he was being chased right now was because he'd set off a stink bomb in the grocery store, a paint bomb that colored the clothing shop in a continuous rainbow, made all the books in Konoha's library/bookstore disappear, and put itching powder in the uniforms of all the teachers of the ninja academy except Iruka-sensei... and made it so all these pranks would happen at the same time.

With another snicker after looking over his shoulder at the itching teachers, rainbow-painted clothing shop keeper, angry librarian, and grocery store manager who was still holding his nose, Naruto turned a corner, making his pursuers lose sight of him for a moment before continuing their chase after the blonde.

In their hurry, none of them noticed the smirking blonde sitting on the roof of the building they'd passed to turn the corner waving to their backs.

"They never seem to learn do they?"

"Nope." Naruto said in answer giving giving a grin over his shoulder at the weasel masked ANBU who'd appeared. "But it's their fault for seeing the kunai as the storage scroll."

"It is indeed." The ANBU said with a nod and, by his tone, Naruto could tell he was smiling behind his mask. "If I didn't know you better, with the way they treat you just for entering their public welcoming doors, I'd be surprised you retaliate with silly pranks rather than show your true shinobi skills."

"To each his own Itachi-nii."

"Ah ah, remember, I'm in uniform."

"It's not like I can call you Itchai-nii when you're _out _of uniform." Naruto said flatly before raising an eyebrow. "And I only refer to you and the team as family when in uniform."

"And you're not in uniform at the moment now are you?" The weasel-mask ANBU said crossing his arms.

"Fine, _Itachi_." Naruto slightly whined. "So what's up?"

"Hokage-sama wishes to go over the details of our mission tonight."

Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly. "And the start of my long term mission at your request no doubt."

The Itachi gave a nod making the blonde sigh once more before standing, the moment the boy stood, gone was the whisker-marked blue-eyed blonde in blue shorts, a black T-shirt, and an orange vest with a white color and in his place suddenly stood a whisker-marked blue-eyed black-haired boy with his hair cut like the Yondaime's in ANBU garb with a tanto sheathed behind each shoulder and two folded windmill shurikan hanging from either side of his belt, just before he slipped an ANBU crow mask over his face.

In an instant, both ANBU disappeared, heading to Hokage tower.

Upon reaching the Hokage's office, they found that the rest of the team was already there.

"Jeeze, for a minute there, I thought you two were going to start taking after Dog when he's not in uniform." Said the snake masked female ANBU.

"Who wants to bet he'll be late for his own funeral unless we put him in is ANBU gear to be buried?" The crow-masked child ANBU said raising his hand while everyone, even the Hokage, but the ANBU in question raised their hands in amusement.

"Har-har." The dog-masked ANBU said sarcastically making everyone in the chuckle, giggle, or snicker.

"Team Nine-tails." The Hokage said after clearing his throat, making the nine ANBU in the room immediately stand at attention. "This will be the last mission, team Nine-tails will ever be going on again. You nine made yourselves a team, a team most legendary over the past two and a half years. A team with no true captain, just several individuals coming together only for the most serious of missions, and there hasn't been a single mission you have failed. Unmask yourselves here and now as a final good-bye to the title of team Nine-tails when I call on you. SNAKE; Anko Mitarashi."

A woman with her slightly spiky purple hair tied back in a pony-tail unmasked her grinning face with light brown eyes.

"CAT; Yugao Uzuki."

Another woman with her purple hair down unmasked her somewhat serious face and black eyes.

"GECKO; Hayate Gekko."

A man with slightly shaggy brown hair, black eyes, and dark circles under his eyes, looking a bit sickly along with a cough that came from his lips from time to time unmasked himself.

"RAT; Izumo Kamizuki."

A young man with dark brown hair and some of his bangs hiding one of his black eyes with a slightly amused smile.

"MONKEY; Kotetsu Hagane."

Another young man also wearing a slightly amused smile with long black spikes for hair, black eyes, a trimmed beard to look flat on his chin, and a a white cloth tied around his head going over the bridge of his nose and under her ears.

"TORTOISE; Gai Maito."

A man with his black hair cut into a bowl shape and abnormally large eyes wearing a nice-guy pose smile unmasked himself.

"DOG; Kakashi Hatake."

A man with silver hair that defied gravity took off his ANBU mask only to reveal he was still masked from the nose down and he had an eye closed with a scar going through it.

"WEASEL; Itachi Uchiha."

A boy with long black hair tied back in a low pony-tail and diagonal lines on his cheeks from the inner corners of their eyes, looking to be about thirteen, unmasked himself.

"And CROW; Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto unmasked himself, his black Yondaime-haircut gone back to his normal wild blonde spikes.

"This is Team Nine-tails' last mission... or at least it will be for a very long time." The old man said. "You're mission is to dispose of the coup forming in the Uchiha clan..."

Everyone gained a serious expression, ready to hear the details as they were already told of this mission ahead of time.

x

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><p>x<p>

Crow and Snake were running towards training grounds 44, Forest of Death. Team Nine-tails had finished their last mission together and split up into pairs while Itachi stayed behind to face his little brother and make him think Itachi killed the clan alone.

As part of a last request to the Hokage, which the old man allowed, Itachi was going to take the role of the bad guy to protect his precious little brother and the old Hokage suggested Naruto watch over Sasuke as a genin when team placements arrived under Kakashi's also watchful eye. It was Naruto's choice how to accomplish this mission. The mission wasn't to truly start until until team placements anyway and would go on until Sasuke made chuunin, when he would hopefully be mature enough to learn the truth, or if something happens to jeopardize the mission, in which case, Naruto would be forced to tell Sasuke everything.

Anko lived in a hut just outside the Forest of Death and after missions Team Nine-tails went on and other serious ANBU missions, she allowed Naruto to spend however much time he'd need to shake of the affects the mission had on his person. There were plenty of reasons it was called Forest of Death but, sadly, Naruto felt safer there than he did in the apartment he lived in thanks to the villagers constantly breaking in and the stupid landlord Naruto was forced to live by.

The landlord constantly threatened to kick Naruto out for not paying him rent. Naruto was always on time with his rent, the landlord was just pissed Naruto refused to pay more the the money required once a week rather than once a month.

Naruto never had to worry about anything he cared about getting damaged because he never trusted anyone but the old man, the others of Team Nine-tails, and Iruka-sensei so he always kept his things in either the Hokage's office or on his person sealed up in a couple storage scrolls. That included the food, clothes, and books the old man allowed him to steal earlier today seeing as no one would ever sell him anything and whenever they did it was three or four times the original price for something of the lowest quality.

They reached the Forest of Death and Anko handed him a blanket and pillow saying, "It's getting a bit chilly this time of year and remember to tell me or leave a note when you leave."

"Always." Naruto answered, still masked before taking the offered blanket and pillow and hopping over the fence and headed into the dark wood.

After running deep into the forest and finding a nice place to sleep, Naruto finally unmasked himself, bathed in the stream close by, and dressed for sleep.

He was out like a light as soon as his head hit the pillow.

x

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><p>x<p>

Naruto's eyes snapped open as soon as he heard the first signs of battle. He could sleep through most sounds the Forest of Death gave off but fights were one of the few things he couldn't especially if they were near by. Another thing he couldn't sleep through was when someone was either watching him or someone was near by or at least in the same room as him. The only one he could really find himself sleeping in front of was the old man Hokage.

But, moving on...

The was a crashing sound of sorts and a tree suddenly fell just a few feet from where he was sleeping. It was still dark out. If Naruto had to guess, it was a little after midnight. He sat up, kunai in hand, and peeked out from the slightly underground tree cave he'd been sleeping in and could hardly believe what he was seeing.

There, just several feet from where he was hiding, were two of the strangest creatures he'd ever seen.

One was this disfigured green thing a long white mane and burn mark-like scars all over it, it had a long pointy silver horn on either side of it head with four orange rings around each horn, it had three more shorter white horns sticking out of each shoulder, all it's teeth were pointed but it still had larger fangs at the top along with a pair of tusk-looking fangs, it's pointed cow-like ears had two silver hoop rings hanging from each, it's left forearm and right shin were wrapped in strange orange bandage-tape while it's right forearm and left shin had belts and bolted guarding, it wore this dark gray loincloth type thing with a black belt, it's carried this big bone-club with metal spikes at the end, and it looked to be about three times the height of the old man Hokage.

The other creature, which seemed to be losing badly judging by the injuries Naruto could see, was red and blue on all fours with nine tails fanned out like a peacock's tail feathers. It was a beautiful crimson color with light and dark blue in stripes and blotches all over. A couple stripes on either side of it's face and on each of it's limbs as well, it had a couple spikes of blue over it's forehead with the blue spread down it's back to it's tails. The end of each tail and it's long pointy ears had darker blue. It looked to be standing about a foot in height on all fours, about two if it were on it's hind legs, and each foot had three white talon toes. It was covered in cuts, scratches, and already forming bruises, and it's left eye seemed to be missing, a slanted x-like cut in it's place.

Sort of reminded Naruto of Kakashi.

"**SUPER THUNDER STRIKE!**" The red and blue creature shouted tiredly as it's tails sparked with lighting before the lightning shot towards the green creature.

The green creature was able to dodge it though before charging towards the red and blue one with a shout of, "**STRONG MAUL!**" and started mauling the smaller of the two savagely.

Naruto leaped out from his hiding place before throwing two of his four windmill shurikan at the green beast's back. The two windmill shurikan slashed it's targets back with a satisfying shriek of pain before turning to the small blonde boy who threw them just as said boy caught the windmill shurikan that had returned to him. In rage, the green beast charged at the blonde boy who stood ready.

"**BONE CLUB!**"

Naruto jumped to the side and leaped up over the green monster's head slashing away with his windmill shurikan on the way to the other side of it. The monster let out a shout of pain as Naruto landed behind it. As soon as the blonde's feet touched the ground, he turned to the beast making a cross sign with his hands and three clones suddenly appeared before hurrying in different directions in the trees. The green monster turned to the blonde more enraged than before and raising fist up as dark energy swarmed around it before hauling it down to the blonde's head.

"**PUMMEL WHACK!**"

Naruto jumped back to avoid it but had to put his arms up to keep the flying pieces of earth from hitting him, he jumped back twice before throwing kunai in seemingly random directions. Holding his fists out on either side of him, Naruto waited, staring coldly at the green monster as it regained it's baring and found it had missed it's target. It looked up at the blonde and growled before charging.

"**STRONG-**"

Just before the green monster could finish, Naruto yanked his fists over to the opposite sides of his build and it was only with a lucky glint in the sunlight, the downed blue and red creature was able to see twelve pieces of ninja wire going off in the seemingly "random" directions the blonde had thrown the kunai. The green monster was too focused on his own anger ridden attack to notice much of anything. At the end of each ninja wire was one of twelve windmill shurikan that all came flying towards the green monster from all directions as Naruto ducked nearly stomach flat on the ground when all twelve shurikan hit and the green monster screamed in pain and dismay as his body disappeared in red flakes on some kind of energy.

Naruto stood as the clones hiding in the trees hopped down around him and the twelve windmill shurikan disappeared in a puff of smoke. He stood there, still in his sleeping white T-shirt and grey sweatpants before looking to the downed red and blue creature before slowly and cautiously approaching it. It growled and tried to edge back as it's tails fanned out again but with it's current condition of exhaustion and pain, it didn't get very far.

"I'm not going to hurt you." Naruto said quietly as he slowly knelt down beside it.

It didn't stop growling but it did hold back a bit. Naruto made two more clones and had one go get the storage scroll with food and medical supplies and the other go fill up a canister of water from the stream near by as he an the fist three clones he made carefully picked up the red and blue creature, much to it's protest, and brought it over to the slightly underground tree cave.

"Quit carrying me like a digi-egg human, I can walk!" The creature said frustratedly.

"Not in your condition you can't." Naruto said. "I don't know what a digi-egg is but it sounds defenseless and, by that last attack with the lightning I saw you make before that green monster started mauling you, I can see your far from defenseless. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't accept help when you need it. Now quit complaining, I'm helping you whether you like it or not and you're lucky it was me that found you rather than one of the many idiots in this village. They probably would've killed you just for having nine tails."

The creature made something akin to a pout but stopped arguing as Naruto and his three clones carefully brought it down to the blanket on soft soil of the tree cave before the three clones disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"What ability is that human?" It asked. "There are few digimon I know of that can make clones but those are simply illusions. How did you make them real?"

"My name is Naruto and it's called shadow clone jutsu. I'm a ninja, it's what I do." Naruto said as he carefully slipped his pillow under the front half of the creatures body before the clone who'd taken out the medical supplies and food disappeared along with the clone that got the water when it got back. "And digimon? Is that what you are?"

"Yes. I am Elecmon. The one you defeated just know was Ogremon. You never heard of digimon?" It asked slightly confused.

"Nope." Naruto said soaking a cloth with the water and started carefully cleaning Elecmon's wounds. "What did that thing do? That was a strange way to escape."

"Escape?"

"Didn't it?"

"No. Digimon are made up of data. What you saw were Ogremon's data particles scattering when you killed it."

"Oh. Strange... Is that what happens to all digimon when they die?" Naruto asked.

"Yes. Unless a digimon's data particles are absorbed by the digimon that defeated it, it's data goes back to the digital world and it is reborn into, hopefully, a better digimon."

"Digital world? Is that like the summoning world?"

"Summoning world?"

Naruto and Elecmon got to more talking and before they realized it, they were telling each other everything about there home worlds and a bit about themselves as well. Naruto learned that the digital world has a strong connection to the "real" world. Elecmon and his brethren were stopping a group of Goblimon from transporting through what they'd thought was a portal to the "real" world and took care of all but one Goblimon that suddenly digivolved into an Ogremon. It'd killed Elecmon's brethren and got through the portal but didn't escape without Elecmon fallowing.

"Well the fight is over and you need to rest so I'll feed you a sandwich or two and then you sleep." Naruto said in a don't-bother-arguing-with-me tone as he put away the medical supplies he'd finished using after bandaging up Elecmon's more serious injuries.

Elecmon sighed and rested his head on the pillow as Naruto picked up a ham and cheese sandwich and brought it to Elecmon's mouth who ate it gratefully. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until he took that first bite. Naruto couldn't help letting out a little laugh when Elecmon hurried to eat. The digimon ended up eating four sandwiches, six onigiri, and some friend chicken before finally feeling full and went to sleep.

Naruto stayed awake the rest of the night to watch over Elecmon, protecting him from the hungry predators of the training grounds that smelled his blood.

x

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Naruto sighed at the many, now dead, predators that had come during the last few hours of the night. He was glad the sun was up now because was dead tired, but he knew he could fall asleep just yet, not with Elecmon still in such a bad condition. He was nodding off but he refused to completely shut his eyes.

Elecmon's eyes fluttered open and he noticed Naruto sitting up with his back against a wall of the tree cave looking like it took all his little human body's strength to keep his eyes open and head from falling forward. Taking a closer look, he saw Naruto's sleepwear was filthy and he had a smudge of dirt here and there on his face. Feet and hands were filthy as well and Naruto had a dirtied kunai gripped loosely in his hand.

'_...He stayed up to watch over me...and made sure I stayed safe..._' Elecmon noted with a slight smile.

Suddenly, he felt... warm.

Noticing a light glowing from the corner of his eye and hearing the ripping of cloth, Naruto looked over to see Elecmon's body aglow and shape changing as he grew. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise when the light died down and in Elecmon's place sat an orange humanoid lion man with a golden mane, the slanted X shaped cut in place of his left eye now a scar. He was as tall as the Ogremon Naruto beat hours before. He had a piercing blue eye, the ends of his ears were black, he wore black pants sewn with brown leather up the side and a black belt as well as a black studded belt wrapped around his left forearm and over the knuckles. And resting horizontally on the back of his waste was a wakizashi that was man for a digimon his size.

"Whoa..." Naruto said in awe. "Elecmon?... Is this that digivolve thing you told me about?"

The lion man smiled and chuckled with a nod. "Yes Naruto." He said with his deep voice. "But I'm no longer Elecmon. I'm Leomon now."

"Leomon..."

Another light glowed and Naruto found a glowing shape a foot in front of him and a foot above him slowly floating down to his face. The light didn't stop glowing until he reached up and took the floating object in his hands. There in his hands now lay an electronic of sorts, slightly bigger than the size of his eight-year-old hand. It was bright orange with two dark blue buttons, a dark blue ring going around a small screen looking thing, and a dark blue strap with a black clip to hook onto a belt loop like a watch.

"What's this?" Naruto asked.

"That, Naruto, is a digivice." Leomon said smiling. "The physical sign that we are partners. You're my tamer."

Naruto looked up at him in surprise before smiling brightly, a smile, which if compared to the one he uses as a mask in the village, would be easy to tell is true.

"Cool."

Then Naruto passes out from exhaustion.

Leomon chuckled and lifted Naruto from the soil to his lap after wrapping the blanket around the little whisker-faced blonde boy.

Back in the Hokage's office a certain old man smiled at the glass ball with Leomon and Naruto in the image, having watched these events the whole time.

x

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**The next day**

Naruto walked into the classroom in his usual blue shorts, black T-shirt attire with the orange vest, but this time he had his digivice hanging from the front left belt loop of his pants. He was reading an advanced book on seals as he walked in before sitting down, half not-really-noticing and half ignoring the whispers and stares from the classmates towards the "cool new watch".

It was sometime during lunch break now and Naruto walked the halls still reading his book util the last couple hours of class started up again. Class went by in a snap that morning for Naruto, mainly because he secretly read his book on seals through the lessons he already knew.

"Hey, dead-last."

Naruto stopped his walk and looked back over his shoulder at the three smirking boys in his class coming towards him. The one to call out "dead-last" was a guy who was "big-boned" like Choji but taller and stronger while the two on either side of him were practically toothpicks.

This was Jinjo Koteko, a councilman's son and his two goons Ruki and Bonta.

These three were the bullies of ninja academy. They were pretty in the middle skill-wise between dead-last and top-of-the-class. Ruki and Bonta grew up spoiled with their rich clans and Jinjo was even worse being treated like royalty everywhere he went for being a councilman's son. When Jinjo wasn't given something he wanted he would do anything to get it himself.

"That's a nice watch." Jinjo said smirking in a way that said give-me-my-new-watch. "Color's weird for a ninja but I'm sure I can take care of that."

Naruto couldn't honestly say he was surprised.

He gave Jinjo a flat half-lidded-eyes look before facing forwards once again and walked while reading his book, ignoring Jinjo and his goons completely.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Jinjo demanded as Ruki and and Bonta ran past Naruto and stopped in front of him to keep him from getting any further. "I said that was a nice watch."

"Thank you. I'll be going now." Naruto said stepping forwards only for Ruki and Bonta to put their arms up to stop him.

"I didn't think you could get any stupider dead-last." Jinjo said approaching. "Give me my watch."

Feeling irritated, still not really cleared of his angst over killing the Uchiha clan with his from-time-to-time team two days before, Naruto turned to face Jinjo and said without looking up from his book, "And you must be a complete moron if you don't get from my body language that this isn't your watch and I'm not giving it to you."

He could feel Ruki and Bonta's surprised and confused is-this-kid-crazy-or-just-plain-mental? stares at his back, but he ignored them. Jinjo was angry in an instant and made a grabbed at Naruto with his other fist already ready to punch the blonde. Naruto ducked to the floor, still without looking up from his book, and sweep-kicked Jijno's feet from underneath him. Naruto was on his feet and Jinjo was on his back before anyone could blink. Ruki and Bonta tried to grab at his shoulders from behind at the same time but, again, it happened before anyone could blink. Naruto tossed his open book a foot in the air, grabbed Ruki and Bonta's offending wrists and flipped them over his shoulders to land on top of Jinjo with a pained "oof!". Naruto stood straight and lifted a hand somewhat lazily, catching his book and turning a page as he turned back around and continued his walk once again.

He didn't notice the two pair of eyes on him before the owner of said eyes on him fallowed.

Naruto brought himself back to the empty classroom and decided to wait the last few minutes before class started again. Before he could sit down though, the door slid open again and he turned to see Shikamaru and Choji staring at him in question.

"What was that just now?" Choji blurted.

"You're not really a dead-last are you?" Shikamaru asked.

Naruto blinked in surprise before frowning somewhat embarrassed. '_They saw what I did to Jinjo and his goons. How did I not sense them? I must be more irritated than I thought if I was so distracted I didn't sense a couple of academy students._' Naruto sighed. '_Old man, if you're not watching this right now through that orb, I'll have to tell you as soon as class is over._'

In the Hokage's office, the old man Sandaime was doing just that.

"No. I'm actually not even an academy student." Naruto said honestly, closing his book on seals and placing it on the nearest desk and lifting the right sleeve of his T-shirt to show them his tattoo. "I'm ANBU. I've been ANBU since I was six. The only real reason I'm in the academy is to make friends but with all the people who hate me for no real reason, that planning went down the drain. Now I have a mission that will take a few years to complete and I need to be academy dead last to do that... Well, that and if I'm the dead-last, people won't hate me as me as much as they already do if that's possible. I can't tell you what my mission is thought. Sorry."

Both just nodded somewhat absently.

"Want to play a card game with us?" Choji suddenly asked.

Naruto blinked surprised before smiling, "Sure!"

Back in the Hokage's office, Sandaime Hokage smiles a the orb in front of him showing him Naruto playing a card game with his first pair of friends his age.

A couple hours later, after class was finished, Naruto sent a shadow clone to the Hokage's office to tell the old man what he already knew while he Shikamaru, and Choji went to the park.

"Wait, so kids make fun of your structure and say Akimichi are a clan of fat asses?" Naruto asked confused while hanging upside down from the monkey bars.

"Yeah." Choji said feeling down sitting on the swing and Shikamaru just standing off to the side. "They never let me play 'ninja' with them because I'll slow them down. They wouldn't let me play even though there were an odd number of people for teams."

"... That's just stupid." Naruto said making Choji and Shikamaru look to him in surprise. The blonde dropped from the monkey bars and flipped in mid air to land on his feet and continued, "Any ninja will tell you there's strength in numbers and having the power those kids seem to want means zip if you don't have the control for it. And the Akimichi are one of the strongest clans to exist and not just by Konoha standards, even with all the clans with bloodlines in our village."

Choji looked to him in surprise before smiling a little embarrassed.

"Besides, I'd like so see an idiot like Jinjo turn all the built-up fat in his body and in his head into muscle in an instant like an Akimichi can." Naruto added. "Although, for Jinjo, I can't be sure if it's fat or just a bunch of hot air. Haha. Seeing Jinjo float away like a hot air balloon would sure be amusing."

Shikamaru and Choji couldn't help laughing at that comment and image in their heads.

'_Although I do find playing 'ninja' rather silly too._' Naruto thought. '_Being a ninja isn't a game but that's something these guys have to learn on their own._' Naruto paused in thought before remembering something. '_I haven't seen Leomon since this morning. Those there's plenty of thing for him to eat in the forest and he's not any way defenseless now that he's healed, but..._'"You know guy's I just remembered I have something I need to take care of. And it's getting pretty late."

"Hey, yeah!" Choji agreed. "I'm gonna be late for supper!"

Naruto and Shikamaru laughed a little when Choji started running off and Shikamaru sent Naruto a nod before heading home as well.

While Choji and Shikamaru went home, Naruto headed for training grounds 44. When he got to the fence in front of the Forest of Death, he stiffened as the shadow clone he'd sent to the Hokage's office finally dispelled.

Naruto couldn't help scoffing at the memory he gained from the clone as he made his way through the Forest of Death to Leomon.

(Shadow clone's memory)

_Just after Naruto confirmed the old man had been watching his confrontation with Shikamaru and Choji about being an ANBU, there was a knock._

_"Enter." Sandaime said._

_The door opens and in walks Jinjo's father, Councilman Koteko, with a smug looking Jinjo right behind him._

_"Ah, good." Councilman Koteko said looking at Naruto with a sneer. "Saves us the trouble of looking for him."_

_"Is there something wrong Councilman Koteko?" Sandaime asked, though he was inwardly sighing tiredly._

_"That... __**boy**__... stole something of my son's today after attacking him and his friends in the hallway at the academy." The councilman said pointing at Naruto._

_Naruto narrowed his eyes at Jinjo who was smirking now._

_"Really?" Sandaime said in a disbelieving tone. "And what did he steal?"_

_"My watch." Jinjo said pointing at Naruto's digivice. "He has it on his belt loop right there."_

_"Hmm." Sandaime looked to Naruto with a raised eyebrow while Naruto continued glaring at Jinjo. "And what proof do you have that it's yours?"_

_"Ruki and Bonta can vouch for me." Jinjo said still smugly smirking at Naruto._

_"Really? And they wouldn't be just saying that as your lackies?" Naruto said angrily._

_"Insolent little brat!" Councilman Koteko hissed at the blonde before looking to the Hokage once more. "Lord Hokage, I demand you have that __**thing**__ locked up."_

_"You should get all the facts before start demanding __**anything**__ Councilman." Sandaime said firmly. "Naruto, may I see this watch?"_

_Naruto glanced to the old man before sending another glare at Jinjo and his father before unhooking his digivice from his belt loop and handing it to his grandfather figure._

_The Sandaime looked it over a moment and held it up by the strap before asking Jinjo, "You're saying this is the watch Naruto attacked you and your friends in the hallway for to steal?"_

_"Yes Lord Hokage." Jinjo said smiling._

_"And where did you get this watch?" Sandaime asked._

_"I bought it yesterday in the marketplace." Jinjo said._

_"I see... That's funny. You see, Naruto is turning nine in a couple weeks and I gave him this exact same watch as an early birthday present two days ago." Sandaime said looking over the watch again._

_Councilman Koteko's eyes furrowed in confusion before looking down to his son who's smile dropped and complexion gone pale._

_"Would you like to tell me, again, why Naruto __**attacked**__ you and your friends in the hallway to steal a watch he already had?" Sandaime said handing Naruto back his digivice to put back on his belt loop where it belonged._

_"W-Well he __**did**__ attack us!" Jinjo said._

_"Really? Hmm." Sandaime opened one of his drawers and took out a red velvet pillow and an antique wooden box. He placed the pillow on the desk in front of him and opened the box to reveal a crystal ball. He then placed the crystal ball on the pillow before applying his chakra to it. "This crystal ball is special. Only one with the title of Hokage can use it and it's used for watching over anything going on within Fire Country. What few people know is that the Hokage can also display his memories and the crystal ball will not allow him to lie through it either. As it just so happens, I was watching over the academy today through my crystal ball, just to see how things were coming along with the students and imagine my surprise to the scene I'd come across."_

_Over the next couple of minutes, Jinjo grew paler and paler while his father grew more humiliated with each passing second watching the scene that took place in the academy earlier that day between Naruto, Jinjo and Jinjo's goons. Naruto just stood there with his arms crossed and a flat expression. Sandaime ended the show just after the image of Naruto in the crystal ball turned the corner at the end of the hallway to go back to the classroom._

_"As you can see, Councilman, the only __**attacking**__ on Naruto's part was in self-defense." Sandaime said twining his fingers together. "And it would seem your son hasn't yet learned two very important things. One being that you cannot always get what you want and the other being that you should never mess with a shinobi that has something to protect. Dismissed."_

_Councilman Koteko didn't waste another minute leaving the office and pulling Jinjo out by the ear behind him._

_"I take it you saw my encounter with my new partner as well seeing as you helped me?" Naruto questioned his grandfather figure._

_The old man chuckled. "Yes. From the time he was Elecom to the point where your exhaustion finally caught up with you. I'd like to meet Leomon. Not today, of course, but soon. I still have to take care of an undying enemy."_

_"Paperwork?" Naruto questioned with a raised eyebrow and a smile._

_"Yes..." Sandaime said with a depressed sigh making Naruto laugh a little._

(End of Shadow clone's memory)

Naruto shook his head before looking around and finding Leomon sitting in the stream catching fish and putting several on a pointed stick about three feet long, each stick holding ten fish, and three sticks already sticking out of the ground around a large fire. Leomon was working on a forth stick and already had six fish on it and over the fire were two large skinned boars and six skinned rabbits.

"Hungry?" Naruto questioned quietly with a light and airy laugh.

"I bet you are too." Leomon said without taking his eyes off a fish in the water.

Naruto's stomach rumbled before he could retort, making Leomon chuckle as he stuck a seventh fish on the stick.

Naruto sighed and gathered twelve sticks about two feet long before sitting by the fire and opening his food and medical supply scroll. He took out carrots, onions, mushrooms, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, apples, pears, pineapples, strawberries, grapes, and lemons on sticks and stuck them in the ground around the fire with the fish.

It wasn't long when he and Leomon were eatting plentifully and more than satisfied.

Naruto fell asleep that night in the Forest of Death listening to stories Leomon told about the digital world and the digidestined.

x

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x

**Four years later...**

An average day in Konoha.

The sun shining, the regular hustle and bustle of the villagers, and an orange clad blonde running while laughing his head off with a couple jounin chasing after him for painting Hokage Mountain.

Yep. The average day for Konoha.

Naruto escaped easily with a camoflage sheet to match the fence behind him... only to be just as easily caught by Iruka-sensei and brought back to the academy. Iruka made the class repeat the transformation technique and Naruto did his Sexy Jutsu instead making Iruka's head shoot back with blood splatter. After class Iruka made Naruto start cleaning his graffiti all over Hokage Mountain and after thinking a bit, Iruka offered to take Naruto to Ichiraku's for ramen, before Naruto could answer though, a black haired ANBU looking to be Naruto's age in a Crow mask appeared beside Iruka looking down at the blonde.

"Uzumaki-san, Hokage-sama wishes to see you. Now." Crow said.

"Okay... I'll be right back to clean the rest of this up and then we'll go to Ichiraku's." Naruto said.

Iruka nodded and the ANBU Crow hopped down next to Naruto on the platform he was standing on the clean the mountain before putting a hand on Naruto's shoulder and leaf shunshined to the Hokage's building. They appeared just a few feet down the hall from the Hokage's office doors before going in finding the old man at his desk waiting and smiled when he saw who walked in. As soon as Crow closed the door behind him, the blonde clad in orange disappeared in a puff of smoke and Crow took off his mask, black hair immediately shortening and turned blonde before he approached the Hokage's desk.

"I don't want to take too long." Naruto said placing his mask on the desk. "I gotta finish cleaning up the graffiti and then go to Ichiraku's for a ramen bowl with my name on it."

The old man Sandaime chuckled before asking, "How was the mission?"

"The Fire Daimyo thanks you for sending one of your strongest ninja to take care of his roach problem." Naruto said with a smile. "His words, not mine, I promise. He couldn't believe that three of his greatest adversities were the spies but as soon as I showed him their map of Fire Country with a few landmark changes and such as well as the documents proving they were stealing from his treasure fault and making the people try to revolt against him, no more question was asked of me. My full report of the mission." Naruto said handing the old man a scroll.

"Ah, good." Sandaime nodded taking the scroll. "And how goes the mission involving traitors _inside_ the village?"

"Well, the act of inability to make a regular bunshin, which of course is not _really_ an act," Naruto said making the old man chuckle, "is proving useful. The traitor tries to make it seem like he likes me more than Iruka by being less strict and all but happy to give me second chances. Iruka's a good teacher. He's tough but fair. The traitor just wants to get closer to his target. I still can't be sure what he's up to, but it obviously involves me."

The old man nodded, "Be sure to tell me as soon as you know."

"Yes, Lord Hokage." Naruto said with a bow before making a clone of him in his ANBU wear with the Crow mask on and left while he himself changed into the orange jumpsuit. "I'm going to have my clone get me more clothes. A guy can only take wearing the only clothes the villagers were willing to sell him for so long. Don't get me wrong, orange looks good on Leomon, but that's his fur."

The old man chuckled again. "How is your partner by the way?"

"Happily living in the Forest of Death but wishes a portal would open up here already." Naruto said with a slight sigh. "It's been four years and the only digital field to appear was the time I first met him as Elecmon. I wouldn't mind seeing this real world either... And I get the feeling I'll be seeing it soon."

"Well we both know how you are with your gut feelings... How long would you say you have?" The old man asked.

"I'm not too sure." Naruto said honestly. "I know it's some time around of the next chuunin exam but not if it's before, after, or during it. There's a reason I'm Leomon's partner, I just have to wait and fufil that reason. When I do we'll be back... Maybe."

The old man nodded understanding before sitting up, "Alright, dismissed."

"See you Old Man."

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The next morning, around four, Naruto dressed in his "real" clothes. The ones he couldn't wear in public without the villagers bugging him about it. He no longer had to worry about anyone breaking into his apartment, as of three years ago, thanks to the security seals he made. Now no one can get in without his permission. He slipped on a black wife-beater, grey cargo pants, black ninja sandals, and a dark grey zip-up hoodie. His digivice in the pocket of his hoodie so no one wood see it if they say him, just in case.

This _is_ a ninja village after all.

He pulled his hood up and hurried to the Forest of Death.

When he got there, he found it was quiet... Much too quite.

He cautiously wandered farther into the forest, looking from left to right under his hood from time to time. The wind whistles as he turns to a scuffling sort of sound, not noticing the glowing blue eyes above him from behind in the trees...

Suddenly, a giant shadowed figure jumped down right on top of him and wrestled the blonde to the ground. Naruto elbowed his attacker in the gut before jumping to his feet. His attacker on his feet as well, but Naruto jumped to the giant figure's shoulders and grabbed his hair and, by the hair, flipped his attacker to the ground... Or at least he tried to. When that didn't work, Naruto sent a high kick to his attacker's head. That worked for a moment before a giant hand grabbed his ankle and held him up off the ground in a streak moonlight peaking through the trees. His hood slipped revealing his face as well as the giant orange furred and black clawed hand holding him up by the ankle.

"Damn!" Naruto cursed crossing his arms. "I feel like a kid in these spars."

The figure chuckled before bringing his head in the moonlight revealing Leomon. "You _are_ a kid. And you forgot to take of your weights."

"I didn't forget." Naruto said to the digimon. "I wanted to see how I could do against you with them on."

Leomon chuckled. "And you're progress is like that of your mask."

"Hey, I wasn't _that_ bad!"

Leomon laughed and put Naruto to the ground saying, "Maybe, but isn't the point of us sparring supposed to test _your_ limits and not that of your mask?"

Naruto sighed, "Yes."

With that, Naruto focused chakra into the gravity seals on his wrists and ankles, deactivating them and disappeared in the wisp of air.

The real sparring began.

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Four hours of sparring and eating a large Forest of Death breakfast later, Naruto was rushing back to his apartment, his gravity seals activated again and his hood back up. He got back and spent the next half hour showering, brushing his teeth, and getting dressed for his last graduation exam and hurrying to class.

The day went by quick and Naruto one again failed for tying to do a regular bunshin... and Mizuki offered the solution.

That night Naruto snuck into Hokage tower and didn't allow himself to be seen by anyone but the Sandaime when he broke into the Hokage vault to steal the Sacred Scroll and explained things to the old man.

"So Mizuki's plan was to have you steal the scroll for him by telling you it was the alternative way to pass the genin exams?" The old man questioned before sighing tiredly. "It's the _Idate Morino _incident all over again."

"That's what I thought." Naruto told him as he slipped the Sacred Scroll on his back before facing the old man with a grin. "Now, sorry Old Man, but I got to make this believable for my mask."

"What?"

"Sexy Jutsu!"

"Aaahhhh!"

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"You are the Nine Tailed Fox!" Mizuki shouted with a smirk.

However, instead of crying in denial or shouting, much like both he and Iruka expected, Naruto started laughing.

"Wh-What's so funny!" Mizuki demanded.

Naruto needed a minute to calm down, but he was still smiling. No, he was smirking.

The blonde shook his head and reached into his weapons pouch. Mizuki didn't bother to put up his guard, because everyone knows how poor Naruto's aim was... or so they thought. But what neither chuunin expected was the _weapon_ Naruto took out was an ANBU mask.

A crow mask.

Still smirking, Naruto slipped the mask over his face, his hair instantly growing out in the front and turned black before he said, "Mizuki... you are hereby under arrest for breaking the Third's law in revealing the sealing of Kyuubi no Yoko to one Naruto Uzumaki... Even though he already knew." Naruto added with a chuckle.

"ANBU?" Mizuki shouted. "No! Impossible!"

Naruto made a familiar hand-sign and hundreds of clones surrounded them... before beating Mizuki half to death.

"So... you're ANBU?" Iruka questioned in the Hokage's office.

"Yeah..." Naruto said rubbing the back of his head, slightly nervous. "I've been ANBU since I was six. The only real reason I went to the academy was to make friends my own age and later fulfill a mission. Though I am a prankster... and I love having ramen at Ichiraku's with you, this is the real me. I'm not an idiot, that's just a mask to both fufill my mission and keep me safe from the villagers who hate me for what I hold. They're less fearful if they see me as an idiot. Less beatings, ambushes, breaking into my apartment. Most of the shops have always rufused to sell me anything and when they do, the merchandise is always low quality and they try to make me pay three to four times the real price. I can only imagine what they would do if they knew the real me."

Iruka nodded in understanding before suddenly hugging Naruto, much to the blonde's surprise before the blonde hugged back. "At least you can finally graduate." The chuunin said.

Naruto couldn't help laughing.

x

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**XP**

**You guys may hate me for this, but I'm not going to be writing in the wave mission, chuunin exams, or finding Tsunade in this fic, although they **_**do**_** happen.**

**The only real reason I'm skipping out on those event in **_**Naruto **_**is because I would be making this chapter too long and I wanted to finish it so I could get started on the next chapter and put Naruto in the world of the _Digimon Tamers_.**

**Sorry.**

**x**


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